


Old Ones, Cold Ones, and Pizza

by WhiskeyAndStout



Category: Death Stranding (Video Games)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Out of Character, Pizza, Spooky
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:29:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23030212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiskeyAndStout/pseuds/WhiskeyAndStout
Summary: Higgs is a paleontological assistant and falls in lust for the mysterious pizza delivery guy. Spooky times and sexy times ensue.I kept seeing requests for a "pizza delivery guy Sam AU" fic, so here is my probably bad take on it. As usual I have no idea how many chapters this will be lol.
Relationships: Sam Porter Bridges/Higgs Monaghan
Comments: 10
Kudos: 72





	1. Chapter 1

The ceiling fan creaked as it spun at medium setting, only offering a hint of relief to the heat in the room.  
Summer was always so full of noise.  
The old shuttered windows were wide open to catch any breeze available, and the nighttime sounds of katydids and crickets were like background static.   
Occasionally a car drove by, the engine sound ridiculously loud and jarring. People would pass by on the street below, their voices echoing up toward the fourth floor apartment.  
Even the laptop in the room whined and whirred, overheating just like everything else in this unforgiving summer.  
Higgs Monaghan couldn't stand all the damn noise, and all the damn heat.  
It'd be enough to drive him mad, if he weren't mad already.  
Continuing to focus on his field recon notes while irritated and soaked in sweat proved impossible, so with an overdramatic sigh, he organized them and stacked them on his desk. The report could certainly wait for tomorrow. The head paleontologist had given him more than enough time to get everything together by the deadline.  
Head pounding and overly thirsty, he stood up from the desk and picked up his phone, a little Anubis phone charm knocking into his wrist.   
It was almost too late for a normal time for a dinner order, but luckily he knew of a place open until ungodly hours, and even more fortunately for him it was a local pizza place. The catch was that they didn't deliver, though, at least not technically. 

An Uber Eats order at this time for a pizza and a soda shouldn't have possibly taken so long. Higgs grimaced when he checked the time. Almost 11 PM and he still hadn't been buzzed to open the door. He'd been waiting to take his meds with the soda (the bubbles always made those big ass horse pills go down easier) but by now he was half an hour late to take them.   
Just when he'd almost given up on eating at all that night, a buzz at the intercom speaker made him jump, adrenaline shooting through his spine. He ran over to the door and pressed the intercom button.  
"Uber Eats. I got your pizza," a raspy, gruff voice came through the speaker, and Higgs vaguely wondered if this guy just ate cigarettes exclusively. He pressed the button to unlock the door so the deliverer could come in and get him his meal.   
A dark, industrial shoegaze song had been blasting from Higgs' bluetooth speakers with no regard for his neighbors, but he turned it down slightly in anticipation for this delivery guy to show up to his door. The sharp beat and droning bass still vibrated slightly in his chest as he heard a knock at his door.  
"Howdy, thank--"  
Upon opening the door, Higgs was immediately struck by two ideas: the delivery guy was fucking hot, and he really wished he had showered or at least put something decent on before answering the door.   
"My, well aren't you a sight for sore eyes," he drawled, leaning on the doorway and eyeing up the Uber Eats guy as if he were the meal and not the pizza. He looked fatigued and surly, but in a strangely attractive way; his medium-length wavy brown hair framed his face flatteringly under his plain navy blue snapback, and his dark blue eyes looked unimpressed with the much taller man to whom he was being forced to make small talk with. That is, if he'd actually replied, which he didn't.   
"Well, thank you kindly. I'll be sure to leave a good tip," Higgs winked, taking the pizza and pop.   
Yet again there was no response, and Higgs sighed. Tough crowd.  
"Well, er, good--"  
"Your makeup is running, you know."  
Higgs' brain shut down for a moment, and upon restarting could only respond, "Oh."  
"Better go catch it."  
Was that a joke?   
What?  
A slight smile ghosted the delivery man's tired face before he tipped his cap and left, leaving an extremely confused Higgs still standing there in the doorway holding the food and drink.   
"Uh," he laughed, and called down the hall at the retreating man, "I'll be sure to pretty myself up for you next time, handsome!"  
Closing the door behind him, Higgs exhaled heavily, knots in his gut untying themselves. That was the most awkward food delivery he'd ever experienced.   
After putting the food down on his desk, he went to check himself in a mirror. Sure enough, his eyeliner had ran down his cheeks. He looked even more of a mess than he'd hoped, and he frowned at his scruffy, messy appearance. When had he even been crying, anyway? Or was it from sweat?  
Speaking of sweat, he grabbed the pills he needed to take, popped them in his mouth and washed it down with the cold soda. Mood stabilizers, take the wheel.  
While eating a slice of pizza at his desk, his mind again turned to that handsome delivery guy. He looked to be in his 40s; maybe this was just a night side gig. Probably straight anyway, just going by the masculine plainness of his attire, facial hair and build. Of course "probably straight" was exactly his type, and he sighed in frustration as he typed in probably too much of a tip into the Uber Eats app. His name was listed simply as "Sam".  
It'd been years since he'd had anything close to a stable relationship, or even a one night stand. Dates usually ended in failure at the first night when the whole "I'm actually really mentally ill, hey" thing came up, if not at the "I don't really make a whole lot of money" part. This city was full of men and women looking for a pretty face, but not for anything serious with a complicated person, and Higgs wasn't interested in flings, much to his libido's chagrin.  
Hiding his quirks and faults on dates was a thing he tried out in his teens and 20s, but it never ended well, and as he neared his late 20s, he realized hiding himself was a lost cause. Besides, he was too busy with work and research now.  
The industrial shoegaze cranked up yet again, Higgs drowned his loneliness in pizza and coke mixed with liquor. 

The following week found the lanky paleontological assistant overseeing a blast site, ears plugged and bracing himself for the dynamite to go off. It wasn't the most elegant way to unearth fossils, and certainly wasn't the safest, for him or the fossils, but research had suggested there was likely something to be found here, and nothing else would quite do to get the team within reach of the desired layers quick enough like a good explosion.   
And besides… it was pretty fun.  
The base of the cliff finally exploded, rocks flying up and over the beach and into the tide pools. An almost cave-like hole had been ripped into the once smooth rocky surface, and the cold feeling of exhumation excited Higgs' nerves.   
"All clear, let's get going," the head paleontologist shouted, taking off some bright yellow hearing protection earmuffs and letting them rest around his neck. The man turned to Higgs and nodded toward the cliff, but he'd already been on his way.

That night found Higgs yet again in a state of tired, overheated agitation long into the night. He'd at the very least taken a cold shower when he got home, and drank what felt like a gallon of water, but the heat just seemed to seep into his bones the longer the night dragged on.  
Once he'd hit the end of his report, he realized it was nearing midnight and he was starving; yet again he'd neglected actually eating in place of trying to get everything done early.   
What got him a special part on the team was also the reason he was a beanpole of wiry lean muscle and bones.  
Arguing with himself that any food was better than lying in his bed all night with hunger pains, he once again put in an Uber Eats order for a sausage pizza with a tonic water.   
Only when the delivery man's name popped up did he recall that night as well as the brunette's handsome face.   
Cursing to himself, Higgs went to do the least he could to fix himself up: put on pants, fix his smudged eyeliner and rake his fingers through his hair a few times. Yeah. That oughta do it.  
His intercom buzzed and he let the delivery guy up again, his stomach growling in anticipation.   
"Shut up, stomach. We gotta act cool," he hissed at himself, smacking his flat belly.  
When the knock came at the door, he practically tripped over himself to turn down his music, take a deep breath and open the door.   
"Why, hello, handsome. Oh, and the delivery man is here too," Higgs drawled, forcing what he hoped was a charming smile.  
The delivery guy, Sam, seemed as nonplussed as ever, his expression hidden even more this time by a pair of shades. Sunglasses at night, huh. He handed Higgs his pizza and drink without so much as a word.  
"Thanks again, sweetheart. You're a life saver," Higgs winked and, stuffing the soda water under one arm, gave him a thumbs up.   
"Uh… yeah," Sam grunted, and shrugged.   
While sizing him up in that moment, without much else to think of since Sam barely ever responded, Higgs realized he had a good half a foot in height on the delivery man, but what he didn't have in height he certainly made up for in muscle.  
Even under the slightly baggy t-shirt and jeans, he could see that the guy was ripped. It made him feel momentarily weak in the knees.  
"Alright, well--"  
"Thanks for the tip last time. You didn't have to."  
"Oh. Uh, well. Nothin' quite like the combination of a pizza and a hunk at your door so late at night, am I right? I do appreciate the night owl service, though."  
"Hn. Well the makeup looks good this time. Night."  
His face heating up, Higgs once again called out to him as he retreated down the hall.  
"Uh--thank you? I think?"  
Finally alone to stuff his face, Higgs felt mildly annoyed at how nervous he was around this delivery guy. It always seemed to be that way; he'd be overly into guys who couldn't give less than a shit. Usually probably-straight guys who were too old for him, wouldn't even think twice about him.   
This Sam fellow had seemingly at least thought twice about him, though. He'd remembered Higgs, and his running eyeliner.   
"Great," he mumbled to himself, ripping apart a piece of crust, "he remembered that I looked like a fuckin' mess. Just my luck."  
As he put in another generous tip on his phone, he thought with annoyance that Sam probably thought he was gross. He knew he was weird-looking with his mixture of masculine and feminine features, lankiness and scruffy facial hair. One reason he even wore the eyeliner was to distract from his face.   
"Why do I even bother," he sighed, and tried to think of anything else. 

Right, the last of the field reports.


	2. Chapter 2

The next few days of digging, dusting and examining were exhausting but fruitful, leaving a once slightly apathetic Higgs wanting nothing more than to just keep searching. They'd found ammonites, several decorated with ammolite, and imprints of ancient ferns; all very usual and expected. But what piqued the interest of the entire team was the discovery of several fossils of what seemed to possibly be some time of organic cord, which the paleontologist had nicknamed "the ammonite umbilical cord." They hadn't found quite enough yet to test what exactly it was, but as they gathered more and more fossils, it was likely they would find an answer from this dig.  
His arms and back aching from continuously swinging the pick-axe and his legs shaking from the constant crouching and impact, Higgs had almost been ready to call it a day. Or rather, a night, as the sun had already started to set and several of the volunteers and students had already started packing most of the things up. He felt hyper-focused under his fatigue and clammy sweat, the chilly dusk wind wrapping around him as he swung the pick-axe down again.  
The separated rock fell and tipped over at his feet, and in the dim light he could just barely make out a strange shape imprinted onto the smooth surface. He dropped the tool, fell to one knee and lifted the rock to inspect it.  
And then immediately dropped in and backed away, his heart hammering in his chest. Panic creeped around his ears and made his head fuzzy and his vision blur for a moment.  
"Hey! What is this? Chief!" He shouted, his usually low voice sounding strangely shrill above the loud roaring of his pulse in his ears.  
The boss ran over, yelling a "what's got you so spooked, Monaghan?" in response. The assistant just pointed at the fossil lying in the overhang, face white as a sheet against his heavily lined eyes.  
Trudging over to the dropped fossil, the scientist muttered to himself before he took it into his hands and inspected it. After a brief pause, a low whistle escaped his lips.  
"A hand print, huh."

"A fucking hand print. There's no way," Higgs hissed to himself, writing down the ridiculous find into the report. What else could he do? It was ridiculous and impossible, and yet it was there. His small apartment felt even stuffier and hotter that night, and he occasionally felt as if he could still smell that beach in the air; feel that same strange, clammy feeling in that artificial cave with that goddamned anachronism lying there, daring him to try and make sense of it all. Shivering suddenly despite the sweltering heat, he hugged himself, grimacing down at the words on the report.  
Haunted. He felt strangely haunted by the implications of what they were finding.  
Umbilical cord.  
Hand print.  
It made his stomach churn in an almost nauseating manner, his mind recoiling at the unnatural conclusions forming.  
The shot of alcohol burned as it went down his throat and made him feel more grounded. He continued to stare at the report as he downed a second shot, feeling the poison cloud his overthinking brain.  
Higgs hoped to a God he didn't even believe in that something had just gone wrong, something had been misplaced, so that the fossils were from much more recently despite being found in such an ancient stratigraphic layer. As the alcohol did its magic, his nerves relaxed slowly, and he put on some music to further his distraction.  
To focus on the findings was going down a dark and dangerous path for his easily impressionable, paranoid mind, and he didn't want to foster the conspiracies that had budded in him that morning since before he had even unearthed that damn fossil, since he felt as if something in there had been calling to him, demanding to be found.  
He'd gone down this road before, about three years ago, and it had almost resulted in him being kicked off the research team. He couldn't afford for that to happen again.  
"Distractions, distractions," he growled to himself as he drummed his fingers on his desk. It was around 10 PM, probably too late to go out in this rather inactive town, and his brain was too active for sleep.  
His stomach, now relaxed from the liquor, growled and reminded him that he'd only eaten breakfast that day, and the thought of that handsome delivery guy flitted through his mind. Pizza it is.

Higgs actually laughed when he saw the very same Sam listed as his delivery person.  
"Thank fuck."  
He had already showered and changed into a band tee and black jeans, which despite being clean were still slightly worn away at the knees. His profession wasn't exactly kind to his wardrobe. A spritz of cologne was rubbed on his wrists and neck, the muskiness giving him a small feeling of confidence.  
As the minutes passed, he felt increasingly agitated. It annoyed him how much he was looking forward to awkwardly flirting with the poor, probably straight much older than him delivery guy. Why did he always have to push away and annoy people he actually wanted to have any contact with?  
He checked his eyeliner in the mirror. No black tears. Five o clock shadow not horrible. Maybe.  
"Honestly, Higgsy, why do you even care. Get a grip," he growled to himself.  
Just as he was going to check the app again, the intercom buzzed and he was yet again met with that gravelly voice, and he unlocked the door to let him into the building.  
Now even more anxious, but still more confident than he would've been because of the liquor and cologne clouding his mind, he paced the room and rubbed his sweaty palms on his thighs. The hand print couldn't have been farther from his mind as he heard a knock at his door.  
Opening it revealed a familiar face with a familiar box of food. Except this time, Sam seemed less tired, and the tight shirt he wore accentuated his muscles more than when he'd last seen him. Higgs found himself as taken as he had been the first time, and struggled to reign in his brain to say something and stop ogling.  
"If it isn't my favorite person with my favorite food," he decided on, trying to sound more casual than he felt.  
The delivery man smiled a little in response, but that was it, and Higgs took his pizza box.  
"You know, this is kind of a lot for just little ole me. You're more than welcome to join me, if you got the time."  
Sam raised his eyebrows in response, but didn't seem put off at all.  
"Maybe another time. My baby girl is expecting me back home, can't leave her alone too long. Sitters are kinda expensive."  
Oh. He has a kid.  
He's probably married.  
Higgs hid the heavy feeling in his gut with a toothy smile.  
"A baby, huh. The Missus out working late too?"  
"There is no Mrs."  
"Oh," Higgs exclaimed, his interest peaking, "well, then. Hey. How's about I give you another special tip and it'll cover that sitter. I made myself up all purdy tonight, see. The least you could do is share a slice with me."  
He'd laughed as he spoke, trying to make it sound like a joke to give both him and Sam an out in case he was being too pushy. But the desperation for company and a distraction, as well as the alcohol, was keeping him from giving up.  
"Jeez. Ah, what the hell," Sam grunted, his face neutral and not betraying any hint that he understood where Higgs wanted this to go or that he realized he was flirting at all. It was simultaneously frustrating and relieving to Higgs as he let Sam into his apartment and pulled his desk chair out for him to sit in.  
They each took a slice from the box and Higgs sat on his bed, which was the only other seat in the cramped and cluttered room.  
"Thanks. Sam, right?"  
Sam nodded while he ate, eyes roaming the room.  
Always so quiet, huh.  
"This your only gig? Can't imagine you can support a little 'un with just deliveries."  
The brunette shook his head, but didn't elaborate.  
"Cool Egyptian stuff," he said, looking up at a replica of a Pharaoh's death mask sitting on the bookshelf; it was just one of many ancient Egyptian decorations around the room.  
"Thanks. I'm real into ancient history."  
"You an archaeologist or something?"  
"Paleontologist. Well, assistant paleontologist. I couldn't be bothered to get a PhD," he semi-lied, deciding not to admit that he got his master's by the skin of his teeth. He was intelligent enough, and a hard worker, but his mental health saw a steep decline once he hit his early 20s.  
"So that's like, dinosaurs or somethin'?"  
"Can be. All I've ever seen is old bug fossils, though. And, well," he paused, the handprint coming to his mind's eye again. He shook his head. "Uh, plants. Shit like that."  
Their eyes met for a moment before Higgs looked away, feeling oddly like he'd sparked the other man's curiosity but not knowing why.  
"What's with the makeup?"  
Higgs let out a sigh of relief at the subject change.  
"Well, I really like the Egyptian makeup style. I just use normal eyeliner, though. Back then they used toxic crystals."  
"Oh. Looks kinda cool."  
Kinda cool.  
Higgs internally yelled at himself to stay calm as his face heated up.  
"Th-thanks," he replied, voice cracking slightly. He cleared his throat and focused on finishing the slice of pizza.  
Higgs couldn't help wondering about what this guy did for a living. A single dad, almost middle age, having impromptu dinner with a weird stranger who he delivered pizza to. What kind of guy was he, he wondered.  
His eyes ran over the other's muscular arms and legs, vaguely wondering what it'd be like to be crushed under them.  
"Woah, Monaghan. Down, boy," he thought to himself, trying not to let his mind wander in that direction.  
"Um, so what do you do in your spare time?"  
Sam looked like he had to think for a moment. So, probably not much spare time, huh.  
"Camping. Hiking. Motorcycles. Uh, I guess I like some music. Been listening to a Low Roar album a lot lately."  
"Never heard of em. Camping sounds fun though, never did it myself. Who do you usually go with?"  
"No one, usually. I took my daughter with me a couple times."  
"Your…infant daughter?"  
Sam nodded with an affirmative grunt, and stretched out on the chair, folding his arms behind his head casually. As if it were intentional, Higgs' mind completely threw out the thought of "why did he bring his baby camping" to "Jesus Christ, those biceps," and forced himself to look away lest he get a problem he couldn't hide.  
"How about you? You're always playin' some sick tunes when I come by."  
"Hah, yeah. I like a lot of moody stuff. Um, to be honest, I guess I'm mostly into academic research," he laughed self-depricatingly, "it's not in my profession, but I'm really into theoretical physics. String theory. The multiverse. Things like that."  
"I dunno what any of that means," Sam chuckled, "sounds like you got a good head on your shoulders, though. Where are you from?"  
"Here? Oh, my accent. Texas, born and raised. Ran away from my Daddy soon as I could, though. Been out here ever since, must've been about 16."  
"Sounds rough."  
"Believe me when I say it was rougher before I ran away. But enough about that. How about you? You from these parts?"  
Sam shook his head, looking, if possible, even more solemn.  
"No, I lived out West for the most part, then moved East with my… mom."  
His mom, huh. Higgs narrowed his eyes curiously.  
"Y'know, Sam… I don't want to keep you too long, and I know you probably should get back to your young'un soon, but… I really liked getting to know you a little. Thanks for keepin' some company with a stranger. I really appreciate it."  
"Well, you looked like you needed it. And uh, yeah, it was nice."  
"Boy I'll tell ya," Higgs laughed hollowly, his eyes glancing away into the middle distance, "it's been a rough day. Oh, and uh, before you head out."  
Higgs swiftly grabbed a post-it off his desk and scribbled his number onto it before handing it over to Sam, his cheeks heating up again. He forced himself to look the other man in the eyes, and when Sam took the paper, he smiled shyly and pocketed it.  
"Uh huh. Well, I guess you can let me know if you have another rough day. See you around, Higgs."  
"Yeah. See ya," he breathed, watching the shorter man leave the room, heart already feeling slightly sad at the loss of company. When the door shut and he was alone, he leant against it and sighed heavily.  
"Fuck, I'm late for my meds again."

The next day's meeting proved to be of little use in figuring out exactly what was up with the strange fossils they'd been finding in this particular area. Nearly everyone argued that it was probably a mistake, an impossible idea, but nevertheless seemed existentially disturbed by the rocks in the center of the table. Either way, they would be sent off to a lab for further studies, and, personally, Higgs was quite happy to see them go.  
The brief respite in being away from those particular fossils was short-lived, though, as after the meeting they continued their beach cave excavation.  
If Higgs hadn't seen the effect all of this was having on his co-workers, he would've thought the aching, clawing feelings of dread and some strange magnetism to the fossil beach was a sign that he'd need to get his head checked again. But as he worked, he saw it on everyone else's faces, too, even the chief. 

A familiar face that Higgs hadn't expected to see so soon broke the spell of that place momentarily. He'd just sat down to take a break and write down some notes when he'd seen his handsome delivery man walking along the shore, an infant strapped to him in a sling carrier.  
An anxious feeling filled his gut, and he briefly thought about hiding back in the cave when their eyes met. Higgs cursed to himself before hauling himself up and yelling to the paleontologist that he'd be right back.  
"You better be back. No playing hooky, Monaghan."  
"Yeah, yeah."

He jogged over to Sam, feeling self-conscious about how dirty and sweaty he probably looked.  
Sam just smiled at him, an easy expression on his face. He looked different out in the daylight and not on the clock, still in form-fitting casual wear but with a lighter air to him. He looked younger, somehow; certainly happier.  
"Didn't expect to see you so soon," Sam said, looking straight into his eyes. Despite the easygoing attitude, he still had a strange intensity to him. Higgs found it difficult to look back, and wished he could just hide behind a mask.  
"Likewise. This your little girl?"  
Sam nodded and patted her head gently. Higgs couldn't have guessed at her age, but she didn't have much hair. Her wide green eyes stared at him with a similar intensity, and he wondered if she got that from Sam.  
"Her name's Lou. Louise."  
"Well, hello there, Miss Lou," Higgs said softly, bending down to look her in the face. She made an excited noise in response and exhaled loudly. "Aww, well ain't she just a darlin'."  
"The cutest."  
Higgs chuckled and stood up straight, trying again to meet Sam's eyes.  
"What're you two doin' out here?"  
"Just walking, getting some air. You on a dig or something?"  
Higgs nodded, and self-consciously rubbed his dirty hands on his even dirtier working jeans.  
"Find anything cool?"  
"Hmm. I dunno if you'd believe me even if I told you, Sammy boy."  
Raising an unimpressed eyebrow at the nickname, Sam cocked his head.  
"Try me."  
"What if I told you we've been finding what looks like umbilical cord fossils from before a time when they were supposed to even exist?"  
For a split second, a look of dread and recognition flashed through Sam's eyes, but it was there long enough for Higgs to catch it. The neutral expression he was accustomed to seeing the other man with quickly replaced it. Higgs knitted his brows in suspicion.  
"Oh. Is that big news?"  
"It's weird news. Might be nothin', but we got some folks lookin' into it."  
"Huh," Sam sighed, and glanced over to the dig. Lou reached out to Higgs and made some happy noises.  
"Ah, not now, sweetheart, it'd prolly give your Daddy a heart attack you being anywhere near all this dirt," Higgs said to her, his heart somewhat melting at the excited little pants she made as she grasped her chubby little hands out.  
"Maybe some other time," Sam chuckled.  
"Y-yeah. Um. You wanna come see the dig site? There are some pretty cool specimens we found just today."  
They walked over to the cave and Higgs showed him around, noticing a few times that look of uncomfortable familiarity on Sam's face, particularly at the umbilical cord fossils spread out on the table. He didn't seem to want to stick around, and made an excuse about Lou needing to get home before waving goodbye and heading off. Higgs was still curious about what the other man might've known, but chalked it up to the fossils and the mood of the area being eerie. Even Lou had seemed put off by that area of the beach. 

When Higgs had returned to his apartment after another long and tiring day, he basked in the hot shower for what seemed like ages, trying to rid himself of not only sand and dirt but the feeling and memories of that beach. He didn't want to admit it, but it was getting to him--the paranoid feeling growing more and more within him. It became harder and harder for him to shake off the feeling of unease and like he was being watched the more time he spent there. 

Out of the shower and in just a pair of boxer briefs, Higgs padded to his bed and fell on it, fully intending on just shutting off his brain for the night while reading forum posts.  
Upon turning on his cell phone, though, he saw a text message from an unknown number.  
"Hey, this is Sam. Sam Bridges. Would it be alright if we met up tomorrow night? There's just something I wanted to ask you about."  
Higgs face burned reading the text and imagining this handsome guy wanting to see him again, and so soon. Maybe he was really lonely, too. Sam Bridges, huh.  
"Good Evening. Sure, where do you want to go?"  
Higgs let the phone drop onto the bed as he stretched and listened to the sound of the night bugs outside. Somehow they didn't seem so irritating tonight. He vaguely wondered what Sam was doing at that moment, before a buzz made him check his phone again.  
"Somewhere we can be alone. I know a good restaurant with private rooms, if that's alright."  
Higgs stared at the text anxiously, biting at his lip. Was this… a date? Or was he reading into this too much?  
"Couldn't say no to that! Where is it?"  
He sighed, hoping he wasn't coming across as too eager. There was also the idea that he was reading this all wrong and that this might prove to be a dangerous situation lingering in the back of his mind.  
"I'll just come pick you up, if that's okay."  
Higgs just dropped the phone at that and stared at his ceiling, blushing to his ears with a frown.  
"What the fuck," he breathed to himself.  
There was no way this was a date, right?  
And if it wasn't, it seemed sort of shady, right?  
Eventually, he made up his mind and picked the phone back up to shoot an answer.  
"Okay. I should be back by around 7 any time after that I'm free."

"Great. Then it's a date."  
Higgs held his pillow on his face and screamed into it.


	3. Chapter 3

To say the assistant paleontologist was on edge the next day was an understatement. His hand shook while drinking coffee in the morning so bad he got some on his shirt. He couldn't stop zoning out even at the work site; not even the gloominess of that place could shake his anticipation.   
"Come on, Monaghan, get your head out of the clouds," his boss yelled to him, catching him yet again zoning out instead of listing notes about some fossils. 

Luckily he'd at least gotten down everything he'd need to write up the reports later, but by the time he got home they were about as far away from his mind as the beach was.  
Sam hadn't given him much time to panic and fret, as he rang to be let in just as he'd finished putting himself together. 

While Higgs waited for Sam to get to his door, he looked at himself in the mirror anxiously. He put a hand through his dirty blond hair and heaved a sigh, hoping he looked okay. He felt vaguely naked without his usual eyeliner, but figured he should look more normal at a restaurant. Real date or not, this would be the first time in years that he'd be going somewhere with a stranger like this. Just as he ran a hand across his jaw, wondering if he should've shaved, there was a knock at his door. 

"Hi. You ready?"   
"Uh huh," Higgs replied, closing the door behind him and leaning his back against it.  
The mysterious delivery man was wearing a button-down with skinny jeans, and had shaved, making Higgs realize he had a mole near his mouth. He looked a lot younger, and his jaw and cheekbones more defined, without the goatee and mustache.  
"Unf, ain't you just pretty as a picture," he taller man purred, fluttering his lashes with a toothy smirk, "you sure clean up nice, Mr. Bridges."  
Sam's cheeks actually went pink and he stammered, rubbing the back of his neck.  
"Uh, well," he finally said coherently, "you're, uh, not so bad yourself. Um. Let's go."  
The brunette turned and walked toward the stairwell stiffly, and Higgs could barely stifle a laugh. 

The drive over was mostly quiet, with Higgs still vaguely wondering if he was about to get kidnapped.   
They were driving out into the suburbs, with rocky hills and pine trees dotting the horizon. Sam had some extremely dreary yet pretty music playing, and Higgs found it sobering him up from how excited he was about the prospect of a date.  
"This that band you mentioned?"  
"Yeah. Low Roar. What do you think?"  
"It's depressing. I like it."  
Sam chuckled quietly in response. Not that it was anything new, but he did seem a little more quiet and on edge than even in their past encounters.   
"So, um. You sure like the solitude, huh?"  
"Uh huh."  
Higgs sighed and decided not to attempt any more conversation. 

The restaurant turned out to be a lot fancier than he had expected, further solidifying his hunch that Sam was not relying on delivering for money. Higgs felt incredibly out of place and under-dressed in his black skinny jeans and metal band tee.  
He let out a breath once in a private dining room, and slumped into a seat with a low whistle.  
"Mighty fine place here, Sammy. Didn't know you'd be spoilin' me quite this much."  
"Well, you looked like you could use a meal besides pizza for once," Sam replied cheekily, sitting down across from him.  
Higgs laughed as a waiter came in with water and bread. When he asked for their order for drinks, Sam asked for a bottle of wine that certainly sounded too rich for Higgs' blood.   
When the waiter came back with the bottle and glasses, he saw that it most certainly was the fanciest wine he'd ever seen, with a year he was surprised they even kept around at a restaurant. To him, though, it just tasted like wine.   
After they had given their orders for their meals and were finally alone, Higgs decided to cut to the chase.  
"Alright, Sam. So what's all this really about?"  
"Well," Sam sighed, buttering some bread, "the truth is, it's a few things. But if you mean what I wanted to talk about privately, it's about what you were talking about on the beach the other day."  
"The beach, huh," Higgs muttered, not exactly surprised. He'd known something was fishy about his reaction to those fossils, and even more that Sam would invite him out like this so quickly afterward. It didn't exactly sour his time, but he probably sipped his wine a little quicker than he would have otherwise. 

"What I'm gonna say might seem a little crazy, but just give me a minute, okay?"  
Higgs nodded, tearing at a roll idly without any real intention of eating it.   
"Those... weird fossils you guys found. I've seen them before, at my mother's lab. She runs a tech company out in the West but we had to move out here to start a branch, coincidentally near that beach."  
Higgs furrowed his brows and a cold feeling pooled in his stomach.   
"What could she... What could they possibly need those for?"  
"I'd had a bad feeling about it for a while, to be honest. As you might've guessed, I do work for them. In contract. At first I thought it might just be your typical fuel thing, but… it seems like they might actually be using it for something weird. Ever since my mother found them, she's been acting stranger and more distant."  
Both of the men jumped slightly when the waiter came in with their food. Higgs had thought he wouldn't even want to eat anything after hearing all of that, but once the fancy plate was placed in front of him, his hunger came back. For a while, they ate and drank in silence, both presumably deep in thought.   
Only an hour ago, Higgs had thought he would've been more nervous that night simply about his unrequited crush on the other man, not about the subject of the discussion. It'd turned into something altogether more serious and worrying, and the more he thought about it, the more he wished he'd never even agreed to come.  
But when he looked up over his glass at Sam, and he was staring at him with curious eyes that quickly turned away, his cheeks coloring a little, the butterflies came back to his stomach momentarily.  
"Ugh, why am I even so attracted to this guy," he whined to himself in his head.  
He'd had his hand resting on the table next to his glass, and, hesitantly, Sam took his hand in his own gently. Higgs blinked at him, his face and neck prickling with heat, as the brunette smiled at him shyly, before clearing his throat and letting go.

"Um. About what I was talking about before," Sam said, his voice gravelly but soft.  
Higgs let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and sat up straighter, wondering what that was about.  
"Oh. Right. Go on, then."  
"Well, I think they're... making something from it. Those beach fossils, I mean. I've seen some of the scientists get DNA from the umbilical cords, stem cells and shit."  
"Making... Something?"  
"I don't know, man. I always tried not to look too deep into it, but when you brought that up, I realized other people are finding out about this, that it'll get out. Or… I'm a little worried someone might not want it to get out. You know?"  
Higgs' blood ran ice cold and he narrowed his eyes.  
"Fuck. Don't tell me you're gonna threaten me into shutting up--"  
"No no no no, relax. I don't have any loyalty to her, believe me. The whole thing gives me the creeps. I actually wanted to know if you'd help me look into what's really going on, and to warn you that… She's probably gonna be looking into that research you guys are doing. Things could get ugly."  
Higgs moved his half empty plate over, folded his arms on the table and rested his head on top of them, chewing on the inside of his cheek anxiously.   
"Look, I'm sorry if I'm scaring you."  
"You know, when I flirted with the delivery guy I didn't expect to be dragged into some conspiracy bullshit."  
Sam laughed quietly, and took his hand again.  
"Yeah, well when some pretty boy customer invited me into his place, I didn't expect him to be already involved."  
"Pretty boy?" Higgs grinned, trying to keep calm despite the butterflies filling his body. He couldn't hide the tremor in his hand as Sam ran his thumb across his knuckles.  
"Mmhm."  
Higgs let out a breath of a laugh and reigned in his mind, reminding himself that suspicious things were happening and that it was likely Sam had all sorts of underhanded reasons for flirting with him.  
"What exactly are you thinking is gonna happen to me and my team?"  
"I honestly couldn't tell you. All I know is it's some weird and serious shit. I was hoping you could sorta help me find out."  
After a moment of thinking, Higgs finally met his eyes.   
"I'll meet you halfway. You show me this suspicious activity and if I think it's actually somethin' to worry about, I'll look into it with you. Sound fair?"  
Sam nodded, smiled and held out his hand.   
"It's a deal."  
Higgs gripped his hand tightly and shook it.   
A part of him was wondering if maybe this Sam guy was even crazier than he was; that this was all some made-up bullshit. But the fossils themselves were almost an even crazier idea that he probably wouldn't have even believed if he hadn't dug them out himself.  
"Um, just so you know. If you're working with me you should probably be aware that I've got some things I'm workin' through. I ain't exactly the most, uh, normal person."  
"Oh, I'm the last person who would judge you for that. Don't sweat it. I mean… I got my own shit, too. Used to have a crippling phobia of being touched. It's still not completely gone but I'm kinda working on it."  
"Asemphosmphobia, huh. I hear it's rough. Did that handshake just now bother you?"  
"Uh… no. It tends to not happen for, uh... things like this," Sam said, his cheeks turning pink.  
"Things like what?"  
"Um. That is, the more I really want to be around someone, the less it bothers me. The more I actively want the touch to happen, the less it will come up."  
"Oh," Higgs breathed, staring at him for a moment before laughing incredulously. "So… so this really is a date, huh?"  
Seeming suddenly nervous, Sam rubbed the back of his neck and laughed quietly.  
"I mean, yeah. I mean, I wanted it to be. If that's not weird. I don't want to make it weird."  
"You're not making it weird," Higgs replied, shaking his head slightly and looking away bashfully, "I just, uh, never expected you to be the type to be, um. I coulda swore you were straight."  
"I was kinda worried you were too," Sam chuckled, "I was wondering whether those compliments were just affectations or something. Y-You're really charming."   
Higgs wanted desperately to hide his burning face. He opted instead to run a hand through his hair and inwardly count to ten.  
"Well. That's nice of you to say, Sam. Um, your… phobia. Is that why someone as handsome as you is single at your age? A single daddy too," Higgs murmured.  
Sam grinned and shook his head a little in exasperation.  
"For the most part, yeah. Just never really was interested in getting too close to anyone. Some... shit happened to me, in my past. Made me never want to be close to anyone again."  
"Oh, lord. I'm sorry. What changed?"  
"Uh, probably sounds kind of simple, but therapy. And Lou."  
"Makes sense. She's lucky to have a daddy who cares so much," Higgs sighed, wondering what it'd be like to actually have a functional family, any at all that gave a shit about him.  
"Well, I'm lucky to have her."  
They stayed quiet for a beat as they looked at each other, Higgs wanting to make a move but feeling apprehensive and awkward, wondering if he was really the best fit for something like this, for someone like Sam.

"So, Mr. Sam Bridges. I gotta ask. Why the Uber thing? Clearly you're not hurtin' for money."  
"I had a feeling you'd ask that," he laughed in reply, and sipped his wine before continuing. "Well, the truth is I really like delivering. I used to work UPS before… before she wanted me to help out with this new branch. I can't exactly work a full time delivery job while having another day job, so Uber Eats works out fine for me. I like the traveling, being alone to think, brightening up some stranger's day. It's nice."  
"Ugh, you serious? You're so damn sweet. What a gentleman."  
"I wouldn't exactly call myself that," Sam frowned, "some people might even think it's kind of weird."  
"Well I say you're a sweetheart. And besides, you've wined and dined me tonight like a gentleman," Higgs chuckled.  
Sam laughed gently, and smiled at the other man, clearly checking him out in a way that made his stomach do flips.  
"Hmm. If you like your solitude so much, why take me out? I mean, I'm practically a stranger."  
"Well… that talk we had made me really interested, when you invited me in. Then the talk on the beach kind of gave me more of an excuse to go ahead with it."  
Higgs wondered what to really believe from him, and knitted his brows somewhat in concentration. He was battling between being incredibly attracted to this man as well as feeling very suspicious of his intentions. If he got too close, he wondered if he'd miss something important.   
"You look like you don't believe me."  
"That's because I don't. No offense."  
"I'd have to be crazy not to be interested in a man like you," Sam grinned, his eyes hooded slightly.   
"Jesus, is he really giving me those eyes? This ain't fair," Higgs thought, feeling a lump in his throat.   
Luckily for him, the waiter returned at that moment so he wouldn't have to think of a response. 

The ride back to Higgs' apartment was about as quiet as the ride before, with more atmospheric and gloomy music drifting from the radio.   
When they got to the building, Sam followed him to the front door.  
"Now, what'd I say before. You really are a proper gentleman," Higgs joked, smirking down at the brunette.  
Sam rolled his eyes.  
"Would a gentleman do this?"  
Higgs was suddenly pushed up against the side of the building, strong hands gripping his wrists pulling his arms up on either side of his head, a hot mouth on his own and a knee between his legs.  
The taller man gasped and a tongue lapped against his lips and into his mouth, and he moaned quietly into the kiss, barely registering what was happening besides being incredibly turned on.  
As quick as he was on him, Sam had equally quickly backed off and smiled at him, but laid his hands on Higgs' hips.   
"Jesus," was all Higgs could think to say, his mind static. He was distractedly semi-hard, but still there enough to realize that was a little more than a normal first date kiss.   
"Was that a bit much? Sorry," Sam chuckled, suddenly looking a little shy, "but you kept calling me that, so I had to prove you wrong. Well. And I just really wanted to kiss you."  
"Uh. Fuck."  
"Did I… was that bad?"  
Higgs growled and pulled Sam up to kiss him passionately, one hand in his hair and the other reaching down to grope a fist full of ass. The shorter man leaned into him, the noises he was making turning Higgs even more into a horny monster.   
"Goddammit. Come up to my room?"  
"U-uh," Sam hesitated now, and pushed away, seeming to have much clearer of a head than Higgs, "um, wait. Let's slow down a bit. Sorry."  
"Oh. I just. I'm sorry. I got a little carried away--"  
"No, it's okay. I've just… I haven't dated in a long time, and I've never dated a guy before."  
"Oh," Higgs breathed, his head clearing a bit, and he leaned heavily against the brick wall behind him, "I-I haven't been with anybody in a while either. Sorry."  
Sam laughed nervously and pecked his cheek.   
"Maybe we're both a little pent up. Um. I'll text you about meeting up to investigate that thing, okay?"  
Higgs had no idea what thing he was talking about and was only thinking about how he was going to absolutely ravage him when he got the chance, but he nodded.   
Sam started backing away to leave, but Higgs grabbed his wrist and pulled him over for another kiss, wrapping his arm around his lower back and pulling him up to meet him. He was groping his thighs and ass again, and Sam had to push him off gently.  
"Ah--n-next time, Higgs. Jesus, it's hard to leave you like this. I gotta get back, though," the shorter man sighed, and backed away again. "I'll see you soon."  
"Better be soon," Higgs called at the other man, watching him go, before sighing and going into the building.

Lying on his bed post-masturbation saw Higgs with a much clearer head, and he felt awful for being so predatory toward the other man. It was definitely one of his faults that he could be way too pushy when it came to intimacy, too clingy when it came to romance. Impulse control wasn't exactly something he had a great grasp on yet. Suffice it to say that he was usually the one who got broken up with.   
He wondered if Sam would even bother seeing him again after that, and sighed in frustration as he checked his phone.   
His mind actually functioning with blood flow again, he remembered that he didn't even really trust Sam or his sketchy intentions about the weird findings at the beach.   
"I'm such an idiot," he mumbled to himself morosely, feeling even worse when he saw there was a text from Sam.  
"Hey, Higgs. Tonight was really nice. Sorry about leaving like that. Don't worry, I'm still interested in another date. Is Friday afternoon okay to meet up for maybe half an hour at my work?"  
Higgs sighed, reading the text over a few times.  
Did he feel bad for him, or did he just want to use him?  
Could he actually be genuinely interested?   
He thought about that first kiss again, how demanding and dominant Sam had been, and pressed a finger to his lips. It certainly felt genuine enough at the time; if nothing else, he could tell Sam was physically attracted to him. The thought sent a thrill through him, and he closed his eyes, remembering those strong hands and body holding him down, his tongue against his own. A shiver went through him, and he sighed, a little annoyed that he'd have to fap again. He typed out a quick reply to Sam.   
"I can make that work. Too bad we can't meet up before then. I'm gonna be swamped with work."  
"Yeah."  
Higgs already had his hand down his underwear when Sam sent another message.  
"Can't wait to see you again. You're so cute. Goodnight."  
Higgs' face flushed and he cursed to himself. Not falling for this guy was gonna be tougher than he thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Friday came up faster than Higgs had even anticipated; he'd had so many notes and reports to write up about all of their findings that he really had no time to even think about Sam or the passing days. Fossil upon fossil was dug up in the excavation, and with each one, he would look over his shoulder as if expecting to see an assassin come to shut him up for good. Although he was an ace at making himself paranoid on his own, Sam had certainly not helped things. 

UCA Tech looked about what Higgs had pictured: a normal office building on the side of town, nothing really out of the ordinary. Chunky glass cubes lined the wall outside, indicating that it may have been some kind of medical center at one point.  
Clad in his Friday best, which turned out to be jeans and another band tee (to be honest, all of his tees were band tees), he hoped he wasn't dressed too casually for visiting. He'd taken his motorcycle straight from a meeting to there, and his boss often rolled his eyes at coworkers that showed up to meetings in button-down shirts and slacks.

Higgs checked the time on his phone, making sure he was on time, and he was 5 minutes early. People passed in and out of the the building seeming normal enough, and he'd begun to think maybe Sam really was overly paranoid just like him.  
Well, at least they'd have something in common.  
A voice broke Higgs out of a daydream about ancient Egypt.  
"Hey. Sorry I'm a little late."  
Sam had exited the building and walked up to Higgs, and brought him into a tight hug.  
"O-oh. No problem. Hah-- it's nice to see you again, too," Higgs laughed nervously and returned the hug, patting his back hard.  
"Oh, sorry," Sam replied, letting go and giving an apologetic smile, "is this… this is weird?"  
"Uh, no, I just-- I mean, I didn't expect it. Uh. So, this is fine, right?"  
Higgs indicated his outfit, and Sam nodded.  
"It's not business attire but it'd probably be more suspicious if it was. I guess if anyone asks, I'm… showing my new boyfriend around. That okay?"  
Higgs just nodded, suddenly too nervous about infiltrating to be flustered.  
"I hope that's a reasonable answer."  
"Well, we'll see as we go. Ame-- um, my mom is out at a meeting. We should probably get going."  
Higgs nodded again, a lump in his throat preventing him from speaking up. The idea of having to meet her suddenly made him extremely anxious.  
"Relax," Sam murmured before slapping a hand on Higgs' shoulder and giving it a rough squeeze, "it'll be fine."  
"Yeah."

The very air in the building told Higgs that it was absolutely not going to be fine. Upon entering the building, it seemed as if he'd entered that cave on the beach. The same cool, clammy feeling enveloped him, pulling him in at the same time as terrifying him. But he went on, and followed Sam throughout the corridors-- ordinary office rooms and hallways-- toward an elevator at the very end of a long hallway.  
As they waited for the elevator to descend to ground level, Sam took Higgs' hand in his.  
"Breathe, Higgs."  
And he let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and sucked in another.  
The elevator door opened and they stepped in. Sam pressed the button for the third basement level before taking Higgs into an embrace.  
"Take it easy."  
Higgs let out a breath of a laugh and returned the hug.  
"Is it that obvious?"  
"You're stiff as a damn board."  
"Light as a feather?" Higgs joked, smirking a little as he pulled away to look at Sam.  
"We're gonna see some weird shit down here. I need you to breathe and relax and see it with a calm mind."  
"Easier said than done, Sammy," Higgs frowned, and glanced at the bright red numbers indicating they were almost at their destination. Sam turned Higgs' face toward him again, and placed a kiss on his cheek. That seemed to do the trick, as Higgs blushed and finally seemed to realize how close they were.  
"Getting real touchy-feely, Mr. Asemphosmphobia."  
The shorter of the two slid his hand from the other's hip around to slide it into his back pocket, giving his ass a squeeze. Higgs' breath hitched, his eyes going darker.  
"You know, I think I'm surprising us both," Sam chuckled.  
The elevator let of a chime alerting they were at the destination, and Sam let go of Higgs to lead the way out the door.  
"Damn," Higgs breathed, and scratched at his stubbled cheek idly as he followed Sam into a darkened corrider, "this guy's gonna give me a heart attack."  
The other man chuckled softly in response, and lead them to a locked door, which he had the key card for, and into a lab room full of medical equipment, computers, and cabinets. There were files upon files of reports stacked in an overcrowded bookcase next to a large painting of whales stranded on a shore. The eerie feeling Higgs had had before was nothing compared to this room.  
Automatically, as if by someone or something else's will, he walked in and opened one of the drawers underneath a computer desk.  
In it were stacks of encased black umbilical cords just like he'd seen at the beach, but in so much better condition and preservation, so much newer. A wave of nausea hit him and he backed up, almost falling over a chair. Sam rushed to his side and helped him sit.  
"Are you okay? What made you know where to look?"  
Higgs just shook his head, and, swallowing thickly, looked around the room.  
"There's a few more labs similar to this here. This is just one of them. I've seen reports here indicating they're cloning the DNA from these things. See, here."  
Sam took a thick file from the bookcase and put it on the counter near Higgs, and opened it to some case files and photos showing a variety of living creatures with the black cords attached.  
"I don't understand," Higgs muttered, and held his head in his hands. "Sam, did you ever see anything about handprints?"  
Brow creasing with thought, Sam took a moment before shaking his head.  
"No, not in the labs. But I kind of hate that you're asking that."  
"Hm?"  
"My… mother has always had a strange painting of black handprints making a trail in the sand on a beach. It always creeped me out as a kid."  
"Your mom, huh. Sounds like she's probably got more answers 'n us."  
"Why did you ask about a handprint?"  
"One of the fossils I found on the beach was of a handprint. You know… too ancient to be possible."  
Sam hummed, closed the file and returned it to the bookcase. He then put a hand on Higgs' shoulder.  
"We should probably go."

Voices suddenly echoed down the hall outside the room, with the creak and slam of a metal door opening and shutting.  
"And with these results, we should be…"

"Fuck," Sam whispered hoarsely, looking around the room for a way out, "that's her. Why the hell is she back so soon?"  
"We got a cover plan?"  
"No cover plan, not here. She can't find us here."  
"Fuck."  
A quick scan of the room told Sam there was nowhere they could hide-- Higgs in particular was too tall to fit anywhere.  
"Sammy, come on," Higgs hissed, already slipping a grate off a vent on the wall.  
"Could we even fit in there?"  
Higgs ignored the question and boosted Sam up to the vent, and the latter dutifully crawled in against his better judgement. Just a few feet in and the claustrophobia began to settle in.  
Higgs was behind him in no time.  
"Breathe slow, Sammy. Take it easy. Just keep going," Higgs urged. It amazed Sam how calm and proactive he was about this. He couldn't even see where they were headed at all, but kept squeezing forward, barely able to move at all in the small metal space.  
He could hear Amelie and a few others enter the room as they turned a corner in the vent, and Higgs grabbed his calf. Sam stopped and stayed as still as possible, barely even breathing.  
"We're growing them as fast as we can," a male voice echoed through the vent from the room below.  
"It'd be going smoother if we had a more variety of specimens," another voice, an older man, sighed.  
"The pace is fine. It's all about the quality of the specimen, after all. We just need a few more stillmothers, more connections to the other side."  
That, for sure, was Amelie.  
"It's a little difficult finding anyone willing."  
"Well, it's the families that are the ones unwilling. We just need to find ones without that trouble."  
"Here."  
"Thanks. Yes, this one right here. We could try her."  
"Lockne? It seems all she has is a twin sister. Brain-dead for about 6 months now."  
Sam frowned and wondered at what the hell they could be talking about. None of it sounded innocent in the least.  
"Alright. Well," Amelie sighed, and turned on some machine that began making a racket booting up, "let's take a look at the last BB. It didn't work, so something went wrong."  
Higgs tapped on Sam's calf and let go, which he took to mean to keep going again. Much more carefully and quietly than before, he began crawling along the vent again. The machine whirring and voices faded away as they went down different twists and turns until Higgs grabbed at his calf again, and pulled at his leg.  
"Go back a bit," he whispered just barely audibly, "there's a room right here. I'll go in first."  
Once they both crawled their way out of the vent, Sam having to go out backwards, they found themselves in some kind of supply room. It stunk of cleaning supplies, and there were stacks of boxes against the walls.  
Higgs helped Sam down and, once the shorter man was on his feet, let out a deep breath and crumpled to the ground.  
"Higgs! Are you okay?"  
Sam knelt next to him and put a hand on his back.  
"Yeah, I just… need a second. That was a little intense, huh?"  
"You seemed pretty damn calm."  
"It's... It's been a while since I've had to do anything like this."  
Sam helped him up and Higgs leaned on his shoulder for a moment before catching his balance. Then he dusted himself off.  
"Alright. I'm okay. Let's get out of here."  
Sam grunted in agreement and they both left the room and made it as fast as they could to the elevator.  
Once in, Sam eyed Higgs almost suspiciously.  
"When the hell did you ever have to do anything like that before?"  
"Uh, well," Higgs drawled, leaning against the wall and folding his arms defensively, "quite a number of times I've had to make split second decisions like that. I wasn't exactly the most well-behaved emancipated 16 year old, and once I hit 17 I joined the forces until…"  
Higgs didn't finish the sentence, but instead looked grimly at the floor.  
"I wouldn't have pinned you as ex-military."  
"I'm sure there's a hell of a lot we don't know about each other, Sam."  
Unfettered at Higgs' sudden prickly attitude, Sam went over and laid his hands on his waist.  
"We got time to learn."  
Higgs' face flushed and, with an expression between a smirk and a grimace, grabbed Sam's collar to pull him in for a short kiss.


End file.
